Confused? Nomination?

I am applying for the USNA and was chosen to get an interview from Mark Warner, a Senator in VA. He only picked 67/700 students who applied to the Naval Academy a interview. Tim Kaine the other Senator is not doing interiews and is collaborating with Mark Warner for nominations. So there are 20 nomination spots for 67 candidates. I am also in district 10 of Virginia, which is under Congressman Frank Wolf. I think I did fairly well on the interviews for Frank Wolf and Mark Warner. Furthermore, Warner's office told me they would communicate with Wolf if both were interested in nominating me.

Just a few days ago I received a letter from Wolf saying I was not chosen to be nominated by him. What are the chances of not being nominated by either of the Senator's also?

I am applying for the USNA and was chosen to get an interview from Mark Warner, a Senator in VA. He only picked 67/700 students who applied to the Naval Academy a interview. Tim Kaine the other Senator is not doing interiews and is collaborating with Mark Warner for nominations. So there are 20 nomination spots for 67 candidates. I am also in district 10 of Virginia, which is under Congressman Frank Wolf. I think I did fairly well on the interviews for Frank Wolf and Mark Warner. Furthermore, Warner's office told me they would communicate with Wolf if both were interested in nominating me.

Just a few days ago I received a letter from Wolf saying I was not chosen to be nominated by him. What are the chances of not being nominated by either of the Senator's also?

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You make this sound like an algebra word problem! Without any additional info about you (perhaps there is info in another thread but who has time to look?) I would have to say your chances of getting a nomination are about 10 of 67, or perhaps 20 of 67 depending on what the two senators coordinating actually means. Or you could flip it around and your chances of not getting a nomination are 57 of 67, or 47 of 67. Of course all this assumes each of the Senators only have 1 slot at USNA available to them.

No one here can really answer your question. It's a dice roll. Even if we knew more about you we have no idea what your competition looks like, and Virginia is pretty competitive. I wish you luck in pursuing your nomination though as you are already evidently among some of the most competitive in your state just by making the interview cut. Keep working backup plans just in case.

DS was also interviewed by Sen. Warner and one of the interviewers said that the VA MOCs coordinate so candidates will only get 1 nomination at most from VA. Your chances for senatorial nom have not changed with Wolf's notification. But you are correct - most of the candidates interviewed will not get a nomination from either senator. (DS got a nomination from our rep so won't get one from Warner (probably not the only one in both pools), improving the odds slightly for the other candidates interviewed).

Thanks for the short reply. So there is definitely the possibility that any of the 67 candidates were interviewed by Warner might not get a nomination by any source.

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That's correct. Assuming there is only 1 slot for each Senator then mathematically they can only nominate 20. 47 would therefore need to find a nomination from their congressman, the VP, or a Presidential. Since your congressman has already declined to nominate you, that leaves you with VP or Presidential. Assuming you are not eligible for a Presidential then I'd be making sure I was applying for a VP nomination as a senatorial backup.

EDIT: My comments further assume that the two senators will be picking from the same pool of 47. Since we don't know what senatorial "coordination" means here, you need to keep in mind that Kaine may pick 10 individuals who are not on Warner's list of 67 that he's interviewing. There is nothing that says a nominee need be interviewed by the nomination source. Certainly some MOCs pick solely based on paperwork alone.

Assuming the 67/700 are viewed as the best from the state by both the Congressman and Senators, assuming a different 20 are nominated, the other 47 should be covered by their Congressman shouldn't they? If they were considered the best of their district?

Assuming the 67/700 are viewed as the best from the state by both the Congressman and Senators, assuming a different 20 are nominated, the other 47 should be covered by their Congressman shouldn't they? If they were considered the best of their district?

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MOCs/committees may place weight on different parts of an application (academics vs leadership vs recommendations), so what Sen. Warner's committee considers most important may not align with what a rep's committee values most. And Sen. Warner's group may contain more than 10 from one district - we don't know the geographic distribution. There is definitely some overlap. However, Sen. Warner's office indicated their intention to notify applicants before the end of December, so it won't be too long until applicants find out one way or another. If you haven't applied for VP nom, do it now - there's still time. Good luck!

Hang in there, 2015wzhou. Last year DS applied to both Senators Kaine and Warner. He was interviewed by one Senator's panel, but not the other. I don't remember which. The strange thing was that he received a nomination from the other, the one whose panel did not interview him. I have since learned that they collaborate so that they don't duplicate nominations, as MammaMia states. I would be surprised if Congressman Wolf collaborated with the Virginia senators, as they are different parties. The fact that you didn't secure a nomination from Congressman Wolf probably doesn't mean much relative to the Senators, but you must be very impressive to have made the interview cuts. Even if you receive a nomination, make sure you have a Plan B that fits you. Even with 2 nominations, DS did not receive an appointment last year and is reapplying. Our district is super competitive. Best wishes to you!

I was told by Warner's office during the interview that they would contact Wolf in order to make sure that I was not double nominated if they were to nominate me. I guess it's just a waiting game now to see if I am nominated but being rejected by Wolf definitely does raise the nerves a little.

Had this happen a number of years ago. Great candidate not nominated by Rep. A few days later found out nominated by Sen. Try not to out-psych the system. NoVa is a very tough area but until you hear a "no," you still have a shot.

Assuming the 67/700 are viewed as the best from the state by both the Congressman and Senators, assuming a different 20 are nominated, the other 47 should be covered by their Congressman shouldn't they? If they were considered the best of their district?

Hi Wilson,
Based on the board feedback in the file there was no question you are tops academically so they would encourage you toward the following:

1) Work on interview techniques and express answers to their questions with confidence
2) Develop a better understanding of the Navy, what you want to do after graduation (career aspirations) and express to the board the strongest motivation toward serving in the Navy
3) Finish the year strong and document your leadership roles (formal and informal) in preparation for next year.
4) If you have summer job, then get a letter and evaluation of your performance for both the board and for your Naval Academy application.
5) Join ROTC (branch not important) even if not on scholarship as this offers a nomination opportunity as well as strengthens your file for consideration.

I hope this has been specific enough and helpful. We look forward to working with you next year.
V/R,
Mary Ann

I am assuming because of this I will not be nominated by the Senator's as well.